Both editors of this volume have a well-known reputation in the field, particularly in Martin Heidegger's philosophy, having met and previously worked together at the University of California - Berkeley (USA), where Hubert L. Dreyfus (b. 1929) has been a professor of philosophy for most of his teaching career, and where Mark A. Wrathall (b. 1965) has pursued a Ph.D. in philosophy having graduated in 1996. Along with Australian philosopher Jeff Malpas (b.1958) better known for his works on the concept of place ["Place and Experience: A Philosophical Topography" (Cambridge University Press, 1999) and "Heidegger's Topology: Being, Place, World" (MIT Press, 2007)] (and also a Visiting Scholar at Berkeley in 1992 and 1997) Wrathall has co-edited both "Heidegger, authenticity, and modernity: essays in honor of Hubert L. Dreyfus, Volume 1" (2000) and "Essays in Honor of Hubert L. Dreyfus: Heidegger, coping, and cognitive science, Volume 2" (2000). Later on, along with Dreyfus, Wrathall has edited a four-volume edition "Heidegger Reexamined" (2002) and also "A Companion to Heidegger" (2004 hbk/ 2007 pbk).

There are three main series in the publishing market that have as main target to provide quality introductions to students on a specific topic/ author: Blackwell Philosophy Companions, Oxford Companions and Cambridge Companions. Considering what is at offer, is the present edition "A Companion to Phenomenology and Existentialism" covering a publishing gap or presenting something that is already available in the market? Covering similar authors we have "Cambridge Companions" series that offer several volumes dedicated to phenomenology and existentialism related authors: Sartre (1992); Heidegger (1993); Husserl (1995); Levinas (2002); Simone de Beauvoir (2003); Merleau-Ponty (2004).

But perhaps its most direct competitor is the volume "A Companion to Continental Philosophy" by Blackwell, edited by Simon Critchley and William R. Schroeder (1998 hbk/ 1999 pbk), presenting authors entries only, much criticized for aiming at too many authors at once and also presenting an uneven chapter quality standard.

The current edition, now available in paperback format, discloses itself as an affordable alternative to the "Continental Philosophy" volume, having the editors taken two choices that distinguish it from the previous: 1) they have reduced the scope from Continental Philosophy to Phenomenology and Existentialism; 2) they took the option of having entries not only on authors but also on basic concepts with which phenomenology and existentialism deal in order to clarify its development since different authors have contributed to it.

WHY "PHENOMENOLOGY AND EXISTENTIALISM"?

The introduction provided by both editors starts by addressing an important matter: that of explaining why does it make sense to approach both phenomenology and existentialism in the same volume -- knowing that that can be a questionable option. The connection between phenomenology and existentialism has been polemic since the late 50s and early 60s when scholars started linking both movements mainly through Heidegger (phenomenology) and Sartre's work (existentialism). Sartre actually, was the first to assert a connection with Heiddeger after having written his book "Being and Nothingness/ L'Être et le néant" (1943) as a direct response to Heiddeger's "Being and Time/ Sein und Zeit" (1929) - as the title shows -- though Heidegger himself rejected any connection with existentialism. (p. 1 and 31). Since then, the connection between phenomenology and existentialism has been a controversial one not only evolving disagreeing scholars but also authors of each movement. Still, due mostly to Sartre, existentialism has been taken by history of philosophy as being rooted in phenomenology and since then academia has had the tendency to approach them more and more to point where Dreyfus and Wrathall state in the introduction of the present volume: "The phenomenological and existential traditions have now largely merged into a common canon of works and ways of doing philosophy." (p. 5) This I believe is a statement that endangers an accurate and effective understanding of each movement and/ or authors in the sense that it disorients reading indicating that they coincide and that is not the case. At best, and still there is inaccuracy in this statement: existentialism is a particular interpretation that sets a focus in a limited set of features of phenomenology.

But according to today's history of philosophy the connection between phenomenology and existentialism has been set and both editors are not interested in re-writing history or re-thinking the grounds for such a connection and therefore corroborate it choosing to consider both movements together. They legitimize the link between both acknowledging some common traces but they do not address, to start with, the difficulty in establishing what the phenomenological movement is, since, for instance, Heidegger keeps being taken as the front man of a movement that he himself rejected as it was conceived initially by Husserl. What I mean is that the approach between phenomenology and existentialism can already be too much to take since each movement struggles already with internal difficulties and therefore taking phenomenology and existentialism as a unity is something that history of philosophy should care about revising. Hence both editors propose us to think both movements as if they were one, confirming the historical tendency since the 50s/ 60s, when the unity of each movement itself needs to be re-addressed since they are not as united as it may seem.

WHAT TO DO IN ORDER TO AVOID CONFUSION

When referring to different authors of both movements Wrathall states that "a word of caution is in order" because to pay "inordinate attention to verbal similarities is to invite confusion". (p. 31) This reveals itself as a wise advice showing the author's expertise: 1) there are a lot of similarities between authors though a same concept can have different meanings for each of them, moreover some concepts have been widely and loosely used in contemporary language having lost correspondence to any kind of accuracy. This confirms the popularity of both movements, which is a good thing, but also substantiates the dangers to what a movement or author is exposed to when it is a successful one, that of a detachment of its origin leading to a distortion; 2) phenomenology and existentialism's basic concepts are a complex maze where different authors use similar concepts that have different meanings, therefore it is a good option to address both authors and basic concepts separately in order to bring clarity, tracing a more effective orientation.

FINAL REMARKS

One thing that also came to my notice is that there are not many foreign authors contributing to the volume, there are few foreign commentators in the bibliography, and most quotes in the book of main authors of both movements are from the English editions. Also, most articles have no reference to German and French original words almost giving us the feeling that Heidegger, Sartre and many other European authors, are English speaking natives. Perhaps here it is clear that though the authors and concepts in focus are continental but the editors and authors of the articles are immersed in the predominant analytical philosophy method that demands standardization of Anglo-Saxon language and approach though there are other languages in the world. Furthermore, in order to access an author's thinking the original language in which the author writes it is of vital importance and that should not be set aside or addressed as a detail.

All in all, it is an affordable edition and having in mind the polemic of addressing both movements together that the authors in all academic seriousness do discuss, the book proves to be a worthy introduction. There is no question that it has been put together by two main prominent scholars in this field that actively contribute to present and promote continental philosophy -- in what has become an analytical philosophy highly responsive environment. Therefore, their effort in trying to build a bridge between both traditions it is therefore a significant one. Still, it is important not to forget that a direct contact with authors and texts of both movements, "the things themselves", it is vital particularly when it comes to authors that have such a complex interaction. The book does provide a map, one that can be questioned, but one that provides an orientation showing the will to affirm a phenomenology's tradition in contemporary philosophy claiming its own space -- which is clear judging on the decision to dedicate a third part in the book addressing contemporary issues in phenomenology and existentialism -- namely in artificial intelligence, psychology, medicine and environmental philosophy. So now it's up to each one of you to do the sailing.

Diana Soeiro (b. 1978) works and lives and Lisbon. She is currently pursuing her Philosophy PhD thesis "Colour as shelter; Architecture as care" at the New University of Lisbon.http://pt.linkedin.com/in/dianasoeiro

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